Editorial: National security stepping over line

Published: Friday, February 14, 2014 at 06:23 PM.

There comes a time when enough is enough. And Americans have had enough burdens placed on them and their personal freedom without the requirements created by the Real ID Act of 2005.

Not long ago, concerns about just how much the United States government knew about its citizens’ private business might have seemed paranoid. As has been said before, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t watching. In fact, concerns about government snooping aren’t paranoid at all.

The National Security Agency’s collection of telephone metadata shows just how deeply expansive the government’s domestic spying efforts have become. It is not too much of a stretch to wonder if the federal government is watching all of your movements.

If you’re not involved with national security or terrorism, it’s unlikely that the government is wasting much time on you. While it’s improbable that you are the target of government spying, we also know that it is now possible.

The Real ID act of 2005 appears to be just one more way the government has of keeping track of its citizens.

Beginning Dec. 1, 2014, anyone born after Dec. 1, 1964, who wants to board a commercial aircraft for a domestic flight or enter some federal facilities must have an identification card that meets the requirements of the Real ID Act of 2005. People born before Dec. 1, 1964, have until Dec. 1, 2017, to meet the identification requirements. A valid passport can be used as a substitute.

Our problem is not just the hassle people must undergo to assemble the appropriate documents, although requirements for simple privileges of citizenship seem to be becoming more and more odious

There comes a time when enough is enough. And Americans have had enough burdens placed on them and their personal freedom without the requirements created by the Real ID Act of 2005.

Not long ago, concerns about just how much the United States government knew about its citizens’ private business might have seemed paranoid. As has been said before, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t watching. In fact, concerns about government snooping aren’t paranoid at all.

The National Security Agency’s collection of telephone metadata shows just how deeply expansive the government’s domestic spying efforts have become. It is not too much of a stretch to wonder if the federal government is watching all of your movements.

If you’re not involved with national security or terrorism, it’s unlikely that the government is wasting much time on you. While it’s improbable that you are the target of government spying, we also know that it is now possible.

The Real ID act of 2005 appears to be just one more way the government has of keeping track of its citizens.

Beginning Dec. 1, 2014, anyone born after Dec. 1, 1964, who wants to board a commercial aircraft for a domestic flight or enter some federal facilities must have an identification card that meets the requirements of the Real ID Act of 2005. People born before Dec. 1, 1964, have until Dec. 1, 2017, to meet the identification requirements. A valid passport can be used as a substitute.

Our problem is not just the hassle people must undergo to assemble the appropriate documents, although requirements for simple privileges of citizenship seem to be becoming more and more odious

Our concern is that this seems to be edging closer and closer to a form of national ID. And we are wary of the day when authorities can stop people on the street and ask, “Show us your papers, please.”

A version of this editorial first appeared in the Tuscaloosa News, a Halifax Media Group newspaper in Alabama.